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Transforming Lives

The new Belanich Engineering Center represents one of the largest and most impactful gifts by an alumna in our history

The university announced recently a major gift from John A. and Raffaella ’61 (BA), ’77 (MA) Belanich to name the Belanich Engineering Center, home to the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, which only six years after becoming USD’s newest school, is already ranked by U.S. News & World Report at No. 12 in the nation among engineering schools offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

The generous $10 million gift, which was announced at a campus event on April 25, will allow USD eventually to complete its planned renovation and expansion, transforming three adjacent facilities into an integrated engineering complex. Current renovations in a portion of the Belanich Engineering Center will provide spaces for instruction, industry collaboration, conference rooms, and faculty and administration offices.